The Adoration of the Name of Jesus
El Greco·1579
Historical Context
The Adoration of the Name of Jesus (c. 1579) in the National Gallery, London, is closely related to the Escorial version and depicts the veneration of the Holy Name — the IHS monogram — with allegorical figures representing the Church Triumphant, the clergy, and the laity. The Society of Jesus had made the IHS emblem central to its iconography, and the subject reflected the Jesuit influence on Counter-Reformation devotion. El Greco's composition collapses the usual separation between earthly and heavenly realms, placing the adoring figures in a visionary space that seems simultaneously terrestrial and celestial. The London version is somewhat smaller and may have been intended for private devotional use.
Technical Analysis
The dynamic vertical composition creates a cosmic battlefield between heaven and hell, with El Greco's luminous, spectral palette and elongated figures creating an atmosphere of ecstatic spiritual warfare.
